Emi Martinez

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Then it's abroad. And there aren't many clubs that could afford him are there?

And those that can, don't need him.

PSG spent two years chasing Donnarumma. Real Madrid already have one of the very few keepers who are arguably better in Courtois. Barcelona are happy with Ter Stegen, Bayern have just signed a new keeper, if any of Juventus, Milan or Inter suddenly stumbled on a pile of cash, then their keepers are all good enough that the cost / benefit in upgrading to Emi isn't worth it.

If he wants to leave, there needs to be a buyer.

I hope you’re right, but what about Athletico if Oblak leaves? Or Spurs (vomits) if they replace Lloris?

[Toronto Villa]

This thing about loyalty doesn’t extend to players or managers. It’s the sole reserve of supporters who blindly follow a club irrespective of how well or not it does. For them it’s a profession.

[Risso]

I don’t see what is surprising here. What would any of us expect him to say. I’m pretty sure if JJ or McGinn or Calum Chambers was asked about their ambition they’d all want to play in the CL. No different to Bacuna who was laughed at for having that ambition. Our job is to put in place the best environment for players to succeed and historically we haven’t which is why all of our best players have left. The January transfer window alone wouldn’t have changed that. Had we bought two or three top players it might have made him think we are more ambitious, but the answer he gave to a question about his desire to play at that level in his career would not have changed.

Did you read all of the article? He hasn't just said he wants to play in the Champions League, he says it's going to be very difficult with Villa and then mentions a team like PSG who he'd like to play for. The huge difference between Martinez and McGinn is of course that Martinez is good enough to play for a Champions League team. A big effort towards strengthening in January could have been a step on the road to Champions League qualification. Get 3-4 top players in, and nick 6th place and a Europa League spot. Win that, and there you go, ambition achieved.

[Dave]

I don’t see what is surprising here. What would any of us expect him to say. I’m pretty sure if JJ or McGinn or Calum Chambers was asked about their ambition they’d all want to play in the CL. No different to Bacuna who was laughed at for having that ambition. Our job is to put in place the best environment for players to succeed and historically we haven’t which is why all of our best players have left. The January transfer window alone wouldn’t have changed that. Had we bought two or three top players it might have made him think we are more ambitious, but the answer he gave to a question about his desire to play at that level in his career would not have changed.

Did you read all of the article? He hasn't just said he wants to play in the Champions League, he says it's going to be very difficult with Villa and then mentions a team like PSG who he'd like to play for. The huge difference between Martinez and McGinn is of course that Martinez is good enough to play for a Champions League team. A big effort towards strengthening in January could have been a step on the road to Champions League qualification. Get 3-4 top players in, and nick 6th place and a Europa League spot. Win that, and there you go, ambition achieved.

Particularly now that we have a manager who is so good in the Europa League that it seems to be in the rules of the competition that if he's managing in it, then he has to win it.

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t see what is surprising here. What would any of us expect him to say. I’m pretty sure if JJ or McGinn or Calum Chambers was asked about their ambition they’d all want to play in the CL. No different to Bacuna who was laughed at for having that ambition. Our job is to put in place the best environment for players to succeed and historically we haven’t which is why all of our best players have left. The January transfer window alone wouldn’t have changed that. Had we bought two or three top players it might have made him think we are more ambitious, but the answer he gave to a question about his desire to play at that level in his career would not have changed.

Did you read all of the article? He hasn't just said he wants to play in the Champions League, he says it's going to be very difficult with Villa and then mentions a team like PSG who he'd like to play for. The huge difference between Martinez and McGinn is of course that Martinez is good enough to play for a Champions League team. A big effort towards strengthening in January could have been a step on the road to Champions League qualification. Get 3-4 top players in, and nick 6th place and a Europa League spot. Win that, and there you go, ambition achieved.

Yeh I read it all thanks. We are not making the leap to CL this season. That’s the question he was asked. Chelsea spent the GDP of a small nation and likely will miss out. I’m all for ambition but I also realize where we are and I want sustained progression and success. Nobody is dismissing that we could have done more but it’s not going to bridge the gap right now to where players like Martinez ultimately want to be at some point in his career.

[PaulWinch again]

The keeper at Plymouth, who I think has just done his cruciate unfortunately, is meant to be outstanding and destined for the top.

[PaulWinch again]

This is a microcosm of a bigger whole. A lot of us on here are getting on, we've seen so many new dawns fade and to be honest, if the combination of loaded owners and respected manager doesn't do it, then what will? If we don't push on this season I can see another few years of bumbling around mid-table until it's our turn to get relegated again.

It’s why I really don’t get the attitude in January, we were 3 points of Europe. The targets being overpriced is a weak excuse as well - there must be countless players who would enhance us and were attainable. This culture of, “we’ll deal with it next window” just means we’re always behind the curve.

[Beard82]

I think to be honest if he does stay it will be because no one that can afford him needs him.  But I do struggle to see why we chose to actively weaken ourselves in the window when we were very much in the mix.

I guess we still are - but we haven’t made unai job any easier

[Dave]

Then it's abroad. And there aren't many clubs that could afford him are there?

And those that can, don't need him.

PSG spent two years chasing Donnarumma. Real Madrid already have one of the very few keepers who are arguably better in Courtois. Barcelona are happy with Ter Stegen, Bayern have just signed a new keeper, if any of Juventus, Milan or Inter suddenly stumbled on a pile of cash, then their keepers are all good enough that the cost / benefit in upgrading to Emi isn't worth it.

If he wants to leave, there needs to be a buyer.

I hope you’re right, but what about Athletico if Oblak leaves? Or Spurs (vomits) if they replace Lloris?

Atletico are in a massive financial black hole. Joao Felix is at Chelsea in the hope that he does well enough to bring 80m or so, and if he does then that isn't then all going to be thrown at a goalkeeper.

I don't claim any great expertise or knowledge, but I'm sure they're in "raise money to keep the lights on" mode right now, not "break the world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper" mode.

Spurs have come up in this conversation befoe but it just isn't them. I wouldn't completely rule it out, but smashing their transfer record on a thirty year old goalkeeper (when there's a good chance they'll have to replace their all-time record goalscorer next summer) - I just don't see it.

If I were a betting man, I'd be wondering about Leeds going down and Meslier going to Spurs.

[pauliewalnuts]

The excuse that the players we need to take us to the next level are too expensive used to be what we criticised Ellis for.

Now we make the excuses for the owners ourselves

Too early for us to get into Europe is the single most laughably pathetic thing I’ve ever seen posted here.

[Dave]

Too early for us to get into Europe is the single most laughably pathetic thing I’ve ever seen posted here.

Trying to get into Europe is the sort of thing clubs ahead of us in the cycle do.

You know, like promoted-last-season Fulham.

[Mister E]

That we are all getting on is a sobering thought. We’ve operated at the arse end of the league and lower for the better part of 4 decades now.

In all the sixty-odd years I've been in love with this club the ups have been far less than the downs but by Christ those ups have been well worth it and I'm hanging in for more.  I wish you all the same.

Hear, hear. Well put, Dave.

[Percy McCarthy]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

Yep. As I’ve just said in the other games thread, Newcastle’s team looks so average on paper. If they’d had that scouse wanker massively under-achieving with that squad they’d probably be moaning about the investment.

I’m just open to the possibility that the January decisions were Emery’s. I suppose time will tell.

[KevinGage]

The excuse that the players we need to take us to the next level are too expensive used to be what we criticised Ellis for.

Now we make the excuses for the owners ourselves

Too early for us to get into Europe is the single most laughably pathetic thing I’ve ever seen posted here.

Agreed.

I get the argument that Europa League or Europa Conference League could stretch a threadbare squad and distract from the league campaign.

The answer is to make sure the squad isn't threadbare by the time it rolls around. And after more than a decade of mostly bilge, I'll take that sort of distraction thanks very much.

[Toronto Villa]

We all hope having appointed the most reputable and proven manager in our history, who was secured by the owner himself that all key decisions to execute on deals or not were in large part down to him. That is, he wanted certain players and for one reason or another he ultimately decided what he has now is enough. I would be blown away that three months into his time at the club he was vetoed on anything and there is nothing to suggest that was the case. So if we are to succeed under him then as fans as shit as it is in the now, have to try and accept the bigger plan. Because outside of griping and complaining which we have the right to do, there isn’t anything tangible we can do to change it. I like everyone else hope it pans out this season as best we all hope it could have been entering in the window or we will be chewing the “what if” and “if only we had…” fat for a while